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Add CLI Support and Desktop Integration for Windows Applications#593

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MuhammadUsamaMX wants to merge 2 commits intoTibixDev:mainfrom
MuhammadUsamaMX:main
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Add CLI Support and Desktop Integration for Windows Applications#593
MuhammadUsamaMX wants to merge 2 commits intoTibixDev:mainfrom
MuhammadUsamaMX:main

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@MuhammadUsamaMX
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This PR implements comprehensive CLI support and desktop integration for WinBoat, enabling users to install and launch Windows applications from the terminal and Linux application menus.

Key Features:

CLI Interface (scripts/winboat-cli.ts):

Install Windows apps: winboat -i app.exe
Launch apps by name: winboat -l "Notepad"
List all applications: winboat --list
Auto-detects Docker/Podman containers and ports

Desktop Integration:

Right-click any Windows app in WinBoat GUI
Select "Add to Application Menu"
App appears in Linux launcher with extracted icon
Click to launch directly from desktop

Additional Changes:

Guest server endpoints for installer upload and app launching
Restored critical FreeRDP arguments for better stability
Automatic icon extraction (ICO to PNG)
Desktop entries in ~/.local/share/applications/
Installation script with MIME type registration

Tested with VLC, File Explorer, Command Prompt, and other applications. All features working correctly with both Docker and Podman setups.

Closes #496 , #311, #225 Supersedes #337 Related to #417

No breaking changes. Purely additive feature set.

- Implemented comprehensive CLI for installing and launching Windows apps
- Added desktop shortcut management with icon extraction
- Fixed FreeRDP launch issues with proper process lifecycle management
- Added guest server endpoints for installer upload and app launching
- Integrated Linux application menu with Windows apps
- Added emoji stripping and name mapping for CLI compatibility
- Created install script for easy CLI setup
@AlainDeroy
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AlainDeroy commented Jan 8, 2026

Well, unless I'm blind,I only have 2 options in the context menu in the WinBoat Apps gui: 'Launch' and 'Edit'. No 'Add to App menu' option.

I'm running WinBoat 0.9.0 on Zorin OS 18. Anything I can check?

@MDefender
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same here, in 0.9.0 there is only launch and edit in context menu

@warcaninos
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"No breaking changes. Purely additive feature set."
It seems like AI just hallucinated the "purely additive feature set." because there is indeed no change.

@eddiermar
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Hi! I see this was developed after the latest release (0.9.0)... If I am understanding it right, this will be implemented on next Winboat release...

When will be released the next version of Winboat?

@Levev
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Levev commented Mar 2, 2026

Thank you for taking your time to implement this feature, but there are many design decisions made here that do not align with our vision. Please always read the contribution guidelines, as for large features, consulting with us would save both parties time.

I'll be closing this PR, as #417 is already on its way to be merged, as the two PR's are in obvious conflict.

@Levev Levev closed this Mar 2, 2026
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